2.9. There is something rotten in the state of Iran. Starting in the 1600s.

During most of modern history, Iran was a rather weak player on the world stage. It was constantly taken advantage of. Before the Safavid’s sudden collapse in the early 18th century, however, Persia was not a country that you would want to mess with. Only a few other states in the world could match their power. Iran went from hero to zero in no time. In this episode, we ask ourselves how and why this happened.